


lost in translation

by stellariez



Category: Haikyuu!!, Taylor Swift (Musician)
Genre: Angst, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Break Up, Friends to Lovers, HQSwiftWeek2020, M/M, Mentioned Hanamaki Takahiro, Mentioned Matsukawa Issei, Reminiscing, Song: All Too Well (Taylor Swift)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26441203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellariez/pseuds/stellariez
Summary: “Everything was perfect...until it wasn’t.”
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9
Collections: Haikyuu x Taylor Swift Week 2020





	lost in translation

**Author's Note:**

> ALL TOO WELL x IWAOI  
> day 3 of #HQSwiftWeek2020 : red
> 
> i badly wanted to contribute a little something to this because i love both haikyuu and taylor swift so much i just could not let the opportunity slip away. it’s my first time writing a fic, please be kind >.<
> 
> (the numbers enclosed in parentheses are their age)

_ you tell me ‘bout your past thinking your future was me _

It’s been ten years. (18)

They were lying side by side on Tooru’s twin-sized bed. Hajime was telling him stories about how he was once part of a volleyball team, that everyone in their district was scared to compete with them. Tooru would sometimes contribute, filling the gaps to his stories by retelling the anecdotes that Mrs. Iwaizumi told him the first time he visited their house. Hajime looked so proud, his smile was priceless. Tooru decided he would want to get a glimpse of it every single day. 

This seemed like a routine to them, staring at the ceiling of Tooru’s room while reminiscing happy memories and not worrying about what the future had in store. Truthfully, Hajime never thought he would be best friends with the person he found the most repulsive but then again, shit happens when you’re least expecting it. 

  
  
  
  
  


_ we're singing in the car, getting lost upstate _

It’s been eight years. (20)

Tooru was sitting on the passenger seat of Hajime’s brand new car that he bought with his own money. It was his gift to himself after getting a stable job and the first thing he wanted to do was to take his best friend on a road trip. Sure, their trip might cost him his whole monthly salary but  when he glanced at Tooru who looked so happy, screaming the lyrics of the song playing on the radio at the top of his lungs, he knew it was worth it. 

"Come on, Iwa-chan! Don’t be such a party pooper, sing with me." So he did. 

Other than their first road trip together, that day was so important to him because he was finally confessing to Tooru. He was quite nervous even though Hanamaki and Matsukawa, two of their closest friends, had ingrained that they already acted like a married couple into his brain. There was still this great possibility of Tooru not liking him back lingering on the back of his mind that he couldn’t seem to ignore. He knew him well. Tooru wouldn’t let this thing ruin their friendship. Even so, he was also aware that once these poorly suppressed feelings were officially out, they would never go back to the way they used to be. 

Yet he was willing to take that risk. 

  
  
  
  
  


_ you almost ran the red 'cause you were looking over me _

It’s been seven years. (21)

There they were again on that little town street. Tooru insisted they spent their first anniversary where it all started. Hajime, being the weakest guy in the world when it came to Tooru, agreed in a flash. A year had passed but everything that happened that day was crystal clear to him. The look on Tooru’s face when he confessed, how he lifted him off his feet and kissed the daylights out of him, how everything felt right, how everything was perfect. 

He couldn’t resist kissing the knuckles of Tooru’s hand which was intertwined with his, his other hand holding the steering wheel. He couldn’t resist staring at Tooru’s face like there was no tomorrow. He couldn’t resist laughing with Tooru when he reprimanded him for almost running the red light without an actual bite to it. He couldn’t resist the force named Oikawa Tooru and he welcomed it with open arms. 

  
  
  


_ time won't fly, it's like i’m paralyzed by it _

_ i’d like to be my old self again, but i’m still trying to find it _

It’s been six years. (22)

They decided to live together. They rented an apartment in a suburb which was close to the place Tooru was working at. It was a bit far from Hajime’s own workplace but unlike his boyfriend, he knew how to drive. He could manage. 

They were okay. Their relationship was perfect. Perhaps it was because they knew each other like the back of their hand. Maybe it was because fate knew they were destined for each other. They were okay and that was enough. 

  
  
  


It’s been five years and eleven months. 

The company Hajime worked at had gone bankrupt and he lost his job because of it. Tooru had to pay for their bills until he could find a new job. It was their first obstacle as a couple but they told themselves it was okay, they had each other. That should be enough. 

  
  
  


Five years and eight months. 

Hajime just got home from another job interview. He seemed so tired, Tooru wanted to do everything he could to alleviate his exhaustion. He wanted to but he couldn’t. He couldn’t avoid this topic for long, he had to tell it to him sooner or later. Sooner felt like a better choice. 

“Hajime, can we talk?” he started. 

“Tooru, let’s do it some other time, yeah? I need to rest.” Hajime got up from where he was sitting on the couch and went inside their bedroom. 

Tooru waited a day. And another day. And another. But it was never brought up again. 

  
  
  


Five years and a half. 

They were eating dinner together, something so normal before but now considered a rare occurrence. Hajime bought it from a restaurant near the building he just had his job interview at. It’s been five months but no luck. He was so busy looking for a job, he lost time for everything...including the person he treasured the most. That dinner was supposed to serve as an apology but he couldn’t get the appropriate words out of his mouth. He was ashamed for letting Tooru handle their bills alone, handle everything alone. He was so guilty for not spending time with him like he did before.

The lack of that usual brightness in Tooru’s visage didn’t pass his notice. He knew he was worn out for working extra hours but even asking how he’s doing was too difficult for him now. It’s like a fish bone managed to get stuck in his throat, words couldn’t flow freely. He wanted to cry it all out. He wanted to show weakness, show how frustrated he was. He wanted to tell Tooru how many times he thought of giving up. But he couldn’t do that. He needed to help Tooru, not keep burdening him. He must be strong. Just a little more and they would be back to normal. They would be okay. 

  
  
  


Five years and a month. 

“Tooru, what’s this?” Hajime was holding a sheet of paper, at the bottom of it was Tooru’s signature. 

“I was going to tell you. I swear I would but I never had the chance. Hajime, please…” He was terrified. Hajime was furious, wasn’t he?

The clock in their bedroom was the only thing that could be heard for a moment. It was suffocating. 

Hajime was the first one to break the silence. “If only you told me sooner, we could have talked about it. You’re leaving, Tooru. In a month. If I didn’t see this...if I didn’t…” He was choking back tears. He couldn’t talk properly. 

Tooru walked up to him and hugged him with all his might. “I need the money. We need the money. I’m the only one who has a job between us. There’s no other choice.”

Hajime freed himself from Tooru’s arms. “Are you saying this is my fault?” 

“That’s not what I said, stop putting words into my mouth!”

Silence. 

“It’s not the only reason, right?”

It was an offer to Argentina, of course it was. Tooru never shut up about this dream of his but he couldn’t achieve it because he was stuck with Hajime. He didn’t need to say it out loud. 

“Tell me honestly, Tooru, am I being a burden to you?” 

Tooru firmly closed his eyes. This wasn’t how he expected it to be like.

After several seemingly interminable seconds, he took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, Hajime. I’m fucking tired. I’m so  _ so _ exhausted. I just want to go home.”

In a small fragile voice, he replied, “...but this is your home.”

“It didn’t feel like it these past few months.” The smile on his face was bitter. It wasn’t like him at all. Was Hajime really the reason for the change in his demeanor? He didn’t want to know what he already knew. 

That night, he was left alone in their apartment. It was the coldest he felt in years. 

  
  
  


_ this thing was a masterpiece ‘til you tore it all up _

It’s been five years. 

Silence engulfed them. The rain dropping harshly on the roof of their shared apartment was deafening. 

This time, it was Tooru who broke it first. “You know, when I left, I felt free once again.”

“I was holding you back for so long. I’ve always known but I was so scared to admit it.” 

A pause.

“This is it, Tooru. You’re finally free.” 

They were crying together, tears blurring their eyes as they stared at the ceiling of their bedroom for the last time. It was supposed to be their third anniversary. It should’ve been a perfect moment for them. 

Except it wasn’t. 

It’s been five years since Tooru left. 

It’s been five years since they grew apart. 

It’s been five years but he remembers it all too well. 

**Author's Note:**

> i had an iwaoi brain rot at one in the morning and continuously wrote this for approximately three hours. please allow me to scream...THIS IS MY FIRST FINISHED FIC EVER AND I KNOW IT LACKS IN SO MANY WAYS BUT I’M SO PROUD OF MYSELF FOR COMPLETING ONE I’M CRYING. btw thank you for reading!!!!


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